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' UNITED STATES "PATE T FFlZQE,

FREDERICK O. KEIL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOI, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENT, TO THE THUNDER POWDER COMIANY, OF SAME PLACE.

EXPLOSIVE COMPOUND.

SPECIFICATION 'forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,916, dated March 15, 1881,

) Application filed April 3, 1880. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. KEIL, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new Explosive Compound; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full description thereof.

My invention relates to an improved compound to be used as an explosive for blasting and other purposes; and it consists in amix- IOIUIG ot' nitro'glucose, as an explosive, with other ingredients, forming a compound having absorbing, explosive, and neutralizing qualities, as hereinafter fully described and set forth.

In employing nitro-glucose as an explosive agent and combining it with the absorbents hereinafter mentioned I have overcome the objections, inconveniences, and dangers of us ing nitroglycerine either in its pure state or combined with absorbents, such as generation of noxious fumes after explosion and the freezing of and consequent dangers of handling-all compounds containing nitro-glycerine which have been exposed to a temperature of below 2 5 44 Fahrenheit.

I intend to establish three (3) grades, to be designated as No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, and the different proportions of the several ingredients are as follows:

Nitro-glucose 50 parts Nitrate of potash 10 Chlorate of potash 10 Prepared vegetable fiber Total .100

i No. 2.

Nitro-glucosc I0 parts Nitrate of potash 20 4o Chlorate of potash l 10 Prepared vegetable fibe 30 Total; ......10o

cose will settle to the bottom.

Nitro-glucose 0 parts Nitrate ofpotash 20 Chlorate of potash 10 Prepared vegetable fiber i0 Total .100 5o 1 make intro-glucose as follows: I take of glucose, '(dcxtro-glueose made from starch,) perfectly dry and finely powdered, one part.

I then take of nitric acid (specific gravity, 1.50) three parts, and of sulphuric acid (SPG 5 5 cific gravity, 1.84) six parts. Mix them and let the mixture stand until it has cooled down to 62% Fahrenheit. Into this acid mixtureI carefully and gradually drop the powdered glucose, keeping it stirredcontinually, and

guarding against the mixture rising to too high a temperature. \Vhen the glucose has become thoroughly impregnated with the acids I drop the entire mixture into a vessel containing five times its weight of water, continu' 65 ing the stirring process, when the nitro-glu- I then decant the water, replacing it with a like quantity of fresh water four or live times, and thoroughly knead the intro-glucose, either with wooden 7o spoons or other suitable apparatus, until all traces of acids have been removed. The now pure nitro-glucose I dissolve in three parts of alcohol, (for which, however, may be substituted methylated alcohol, benzine, or other volatile solvent,) to transform it into a fluid suitable for mixing with the other in gredicnts. After having thoroughly mixed the nitroglucose with the other ingredients, the solvent is evaporated by exposing the compound to a current of air generated by an ordinary blower.

Prepared vegetable fiber consists in sawdust, spent tan, cotton-waste, or other vegetable ilbt. which has been most carefully deprivcd of all tannin, resinous, fatty, or coloring matter, or other soluble impurities, by repeated boiling with alkaline solutions and subsequent washing in pure water, being afterward thoroughly dried. All the ingredients must be uniformly pow- 5' dered and carefully mixed before they are mixed with the nitro-glucose. I am aware that an article called nitro-glucose, and that nitrate and chlorate of potash and vegetable fiber, have heretofore been 10 claimed as ingredientsin an explosive com gound, and hence do not claim them, broadly;

ut What I do claim as newand useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

d An explosive compound composed of ,nitro- :5 glucose, (dextro-glucose made from starch,) treated substantially as herein described, nitrate of potash, chlorate of potash, and prepared vegetable fiber, asset forth.

In testimony'that-I claim the foregoing I 20 have hereunto set my hand and sealthis 20th day of March, 1880.

. FREDERICK KEILI. as

' Witnesses:

HOLLAND SMITH, WILLIAM P. COLEMAN. 

